1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of multipurpose tote bags and picnic mat combinations.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A number of devices have been patented which provide for a bag/blanket combination, for example, those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,197,891 and 4,188,988 and that described in the British Pat. No. 1,407,484, which provides for a towel/pillow/bag combination. However, the invention herein has never been described. The prior devices do not have the ability to maintain a rigid internal space and hence, anything carried within them is subject to unequal squeezing pressures, making the carrying of prepared or semi-prepared foodstuffs difficult. Prior devices were also of limited usefulness for small groups of people since they were unable to hold the kind or amount of food stuffs or other items containable by the present invention. Also, when set out on uneven surfaces, no leveling effect could be attributed to prior devices, although one is provided by this device. In short, the prior devices contained neither the storage space nor the rigidity provided by this device.
Other patents describing the closest subject matter provide for a number of more or less complicated features that fail to solve the problem in an efficient and economical way. None of these patents suggest the novel features of the present invention.